'Proposals for setting a new standard of Plate'

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/566-7, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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- Revision History
  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
    - Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
  - 18 May 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
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<566r>

Proposals for setting a new standard of Plate.

That from & after the day of 1711 no goldsmith, silversmith ^[1] to denote the year in which such plate is made. ^[2]

And if after the said day of any vessel plate or manufacture of silver being brought to be touched or marked for good,^a^[3] or any part or piece thereof except the soder, shall be found upon the assay to be less in fineness ^b^[4] half penny weight full or above one half penny weight of fine silver then the aforesaid standard of ounces penny weight of fine silver in the pound weight Troy, the Assayer shall, upon pain of losing his place of Assayer, report the same & enter the report in a book & repeat the assay in the presence of the owner or his Order & of two or more indifferent witnesses, & if it shall again prove to lack one half penny weight full of the standard fineness above mentioned the said Assayer shall deface the same & return it to the owner, but if the same shall upon both assays lack one penny weight full or above of the standard fineness above mentioned, the^c^[5] same shall be detained & forfeited to the Wardens & Company of the mystery or craft of the goldsmiths where the said assays shall be made. And if any vessel plate or manufacture of silver shall have m manifestly more soder then is necessary or be suspected to be otherwise deceitfully or fraudulently made, it shall be lawfull for the Wardens of the said mystery or those authorized or imployed by them for the assaying & marking of plate in the presence of the owner or his Order & two or more indifferent witnesses to {search}, or deface, melt down & assay the same, & if it shall be deceitfully made, or if upon the assay it shall be foudn less in fineness then the aforesaid standard by above two penny weight of fine silver in the pound weight Troy^d^[6] the same shall be detained & forfeited to the Wardens & Company of the said mystery.

And if after the said day of any vessel plate or manufacture of silver shall be exposed to sale sold or exchanged which is not marked as aforesaid, or which in any part or price thereof except the soder shall be less in fineness then the standard aforesaid by above one penny weight of fine silver in the pound weight Troy, or which together with the soder <567r> being melted down & assayed the same shall be less in fineness then the standard aforesaid by above two penny weight of fine silver, the same or the value thereof shall be forfeited by the workman who made the same, the one half to the Queen & the other half to such person or persons who will seize or sue for the same to be recovered by action bill &c. And if the same is marked for good by the Wardens or Masters of the said mystery or those authorised & imployed by them for the assaying & marking of plate, the Wardens & corporation of that mystery for the time being shall forfeit & pay the one half to the Queen & the other half to any Person or Persons who shall buy the same & be grieved thereby, to be recovered as aforesaid; any thing in this or any former Act or Acts of Parliament &c

^[1] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

^[2] See Nat. an. 8 & 9 Gul. c: 8. p 184, 185.

^[3] a The pieces of plate sodered together are frequently of different fineness.

^[4] ^bIf one penny weight should be there allowed the plate would almost always be made one half penny weight then standard.

^[5] c or such part thereof as shall be thought fit.

^[6] ^d The Goldsmiths in England use too much soder & where soder is necessary, they may put into the plate so much fine silver as is wanting in the soder so that both together may be standard, without erring above two penny weight.